Between a Rock and a Hellmouth WTK
by katmcg
Summary: Takes place after the First is defeated and Sunnydale is destroyed. Tara returns while Willow and Kennedy are still together. Willow struggles with who to choose. Spoilers: Everything up till the end of season 7.


Chapter 1:

Willow's head bounced up and down on Kennedy's shoulder as the bus bounded roughly down the road. Try as she might to doze off, the jolting stops and sharp turns kept her from succeeding. Giles obviously wasn't used to operating vehicles larger than his old British hunk of junk or his midlife crisis mobile.

She sighed and grabbed Kennedy's arm as they rounded another turn and the pair slid across the plastic seats. Everyone was tired, and if they didn't find a place to stop soon, Giles was going to have about 20 ticked off slayers on his hands. Kennedy's grumbling indicated that that scenario was quickly approaching.

Thankfully, however, Giles came to a rather abrupt stop in front of a building with a sign on the front that read, 'Morning Mist Motel'. Sounds of relief echoed throughout the bus, and Giles opened the door to let out it's passengers.

Buffy headed toward the motel's lobby to check everyone in, while Giles went about separating people into groups.

"Ahem...everyone...gather round. Potentials...er...junior slayers, will split up into groups of four. Each group will share a room." Giles took his glasses off and polished them on his shirt. "I, em, request a room of my own."

No one argued, and the junior slayers began to split up.

Willow chimed in, "Scoobies and Senior slayers can have groups of twos. Robin and Faith, Xander and Andrew..."

"Hey!" Xander interrupted, "Why do I have to share a room with Dungeon Master over here?"

Willow ignored him and continued, "Kenn and I can share, and Buffy and Dawn can share."

An exhausted looking Dawn walked next to Giles. "Where are we, anyways?"

"Garriton Village," Giles answered, "It, was the closest town unaffected by the collapse of Sunnydale."

Dawn nodded absently. "How long will we be staying here?"

"Not more than a few weeks, I hope. Once we all have some time to recuperate, we can discuss our next move."

Moments later, Buffy returned with their room keys and everyone headed off in their respective small groups, all seeming more lethargic with each step. Buffy took Dawn's hand and led her, bleary eyed, to their room, looking as if she was being reeled toward it with an invisible fishing line.

Willow and Kennedy linked arms, and made their way to room 210.

Kennedy put their room key into it's lock and twisted the knob. "Oh, thank god!" she exclaimed, as she dropped into a small wooden chair inside the room. "I didn't think I could take one more minute on that bus. Also, if we didn't find some showers soon, I swear I would have passed out from the smell."

Willow smiled. "Something about fighting ancient vampires in a dark cave below ground for hours does seem to have a negative effect on a girls hygiene." Willow flopped down on one of the double beds. "Don't worry, hun, you can have the first shower."

Kennedy laid down next to Willow, and propped herself up so that they were facing one another. " Actually, I was hoping it could be more of a joint thing." Kennedy smiled seductively and ran a hand down Willow's arm. "'Cause, you know, I think I may have injured my back in the fight. I might need some help with the soap...and the washing...and the bubbles..." Kennedy let the sentence hang and stared into Willow's eyes.

"Mmm...now how can I possibly say no if you're injured?" Willow asked, deciding to play dumb. "I can't have my slayer standing there all alone and helpless. It just wouldn't be right." The redhead gave a playful wink. "You sure you aren't too tired from the fight? I promise not to think less of you if you need a little nap…I mean, you did just save the world and all."

Kennedy's smile widened, and she answered by rising from the bed, lifting Willow and carrying her into the bathroom.

"Careful," Willow warned, "you're going to blow your whole injured and helpless excuse to pieces."

Kennedy kissed Willow firmly on the lips. "Like we need an excuse."

She lowered Willow to the ground and turned on the water. She began to undress, taking off her dirt covered top and pants.

Willow blushed and lowered her eyes. She went over to the sink and fiddled with a bar of motel soap. She and Kennedy had only had sex once. With a house full of girls, and only a couple of bedrooms, they barely had enough privacy for anything more than smoochies. That one night was amazing, but it was still in a bed with dim lights and covers. This was a whole new level of intimacy, and Willow suddenly found herself very nervous. It had been a long time since she was this comfortable around someone. '_Not since…'_

Kennedy noticed Willow's anxiety. She walked up behind the other woman, and rested her head on her shoulder. "We don't have to do this, ya know. If you are too tired or something."

When Willow didn't answer, Kennedy turned her around so they were facing one another. "Is it about Tara?"

Willow looked up quickly. "What? No!" The young witch vehemently shook her head, but upon seeing Kennedy's warm, knowing eyes, she conceded. "Well...okay, kinda. It's just...She is the only one I have only ever been this close to. Even when I was dating Oz, it was all very innocent. I..I..have only ever shared myself this...intimately, with her. I feel like I am betraying her on some level. I'm so sorry, Kenn."

Willow looked away, ashamed, but Kennedy put a hand to her cheek and brought Willow's eyes back up to meet her own. "It's okay, Will. I understand. I care about you...a lot...and we don't have to do anything that you don't want to."

Willow kissed Kennedy softly. Something about the honesty in the young slayer's eyes spoke strongly to Willow. She deepened the kiss, and ran her hands down Kennedy's bare back. Kennedy's skin was so soft and her lips felt so good. Willow felt her trepidation melt away. As much as she was afraid of taking these steps with someone new, she needed to try. She took a deep breath and looked into Kennedy's eyes. "I do...want to. Tara's gone. It is so hard to say that. But, she is gone, and you are in my life now. I trust you, and I want to show you that."

Kennedy smiled and gently kissed the redhead. "You don't have to prove anything to me, Willow," She stated. But, after seeing the determined look in Willow's eyes, she caved, and began kissing her girlfriend again, more passionately. Slowly, she lifted the shirt over the witch's head. Willow reddened as Kennedy got down on her knees and kissed her tummy before sliding off her jeans. The slayer stepped back and admired the sight before her. "Hmm...this is gonna be some shower."

Willow watched Kennedy remove her remaining articles of clothing, and continued to stare in awe as Kennedy backed her way into the shower wiggling a finger for Willow to join her.

The witch lost all feelings of nervousness and quickly finished undressing to join her girlfriend in the shower. Immediately, she felt the rush of warm water over her body. Willow groaned in satisfaction. Then, taking in the sight of Kennedy, naked under the flowing water, Willow felt desire begin to override her senses.

The two embraced under the cascading water. Kennedy placed soft kisses on the witches jaw and neck, while Willow let her hands roam the slayer's toned body. They took turns running the soap over their partner's body, and washed one another's hair. With each slippery stroke of Kennedy's hands on her, Willow grew more and more heated. She kissed Kennedy's ear and whispered, "Kenn...I...I need you...right now...please."

Kennedy kissed her harder in response, and pressed Willow's back against the shower wall. She began lowering her body, placing kisses down Willow's neck, then between each of her breasts, making her way slowly down till she was on her knees. Along her journey, Kenn took Willow's breasts in each of her hands, kneading them, and pressing her palms firmly into their centers. Willow moaned with pleasure. Then Kennedy continued her trail of kisses down the witch's stomach. Stopping, she lifted one of Willow's legs and let it rest on the side of the tub, then returned to her downward journey. When she finally reached her destination, Kennedy reached out with her tongue to taste her witch. Kennedy heard Willow ghasp and push her hips forward in response.

Encouraged, Kennedy pressed harder, flicking her tongue ring across Willow's clit.

Willow felt like she was going to explode. She had never been with anyone as experienced and confident as Kennedy. Every touch and every kiss brought Willow closer and closer to the edge. "Goddess, Kenn...Ohhhhh...Kennedy..."

Kennedy ran her hands up the inside of Willow's thigh. Just when she knew Willow couldn't wait any longer, she gently thrust two fingers inside her, all the while still teasing her with her tongue. She continued to thrust in rhythm with Willow's hips. She pushed harder as she felt Willow begin to climax.

Willow held on to Kennedy tightly, digging her nails into the slayer's back as an orgasm tore through her.

After Willow had been completely satisfied, Kennedy came back up and pulled her into a warm embrace. She looked into Willow's eyes, and suddenly noticed that there were tears there.

Kennedy panicked. "Oh, my god, Will! I'm so sorry! Did I hurt you? I'm just not used to this slayer strength. I am so, so sorry."

Willow shook her head. "No, it's nothing like that. It was wonderful. You were wonderful. It's just...goddess, I'm such a jerk..."

"It's okay, Willow, you can tell me anything," Kennedy comforted.

"It's like, I don't know...like the closer I get to you, the more I let her go. I'm so sorry, Kennedy. It just hurts so much. I want to move on...and I want to move on with you...but, it's so hard. I loved her so much. You deserve so much better...someone who isn't such a mess. Someone who can make love to you without turning into a man, or a big puddle of tears. You must hate me. You are such a wonderful person, Kenn and I am so sorry."

Willow continued to cry as Kennedy soothed her. "Look at me, Willow. It's okay. I know what she meant to you, and how hard this must be for you, but you are too special to me to just let you go when things get tough. I am a slayer now, remember. I will be with you, and we will be strong together."

Willow slowly calmed down and held onto Kennedy tightly. They stayed that way for several minutes until the water turned cold. Then, they got out of the shower, toweled off and climbed into bed. The events of the day weighed on them both, and they were so tired.

Willow closed her eyes as Kennedy drew tiny circles on the witch's arm, and ran her fingers through the girls damp red tresses. Kennedy's mind was still racing, despite how tired she was. When she felt certain that Willow was asleep, Kennedy sighed and placed a soft kiss on the witches head. She whispered, "Oh, Willow. I love you."

Willow jolted out of her near-sleep state, but kept her eyes closed. _'She what? She loves me? What do I do? Do I say it back? No...just pretend to be asleep. __**Do**__ I love her? No...no...oh, I don't know. My heart still belongs to Tara. How could I possibly love them both?'_

Exhaustion finally won over, and Willow and Kennedy both fell asleep, wrapped in each other's arms.

Chapter 2: 

Willow woke up first, as streaks of sun light fought their way through the dusty blinds. She yawned and stretched out, rolling over to see the figure lying next to her in bed. Kennedy was stretched out, lying on her back. Her pillow had been tossed to the floor, and one leg hung off the side of the bed. She looked like she could be out for another few **days**.

Willow smiled to herself and slid carefully out of bed. Even though it looked as if it would take another apocalypse to wake her sleeping slayer, Willow didn't want to take any chances. Realizing all she had were yesterday's clothes, she sighed and put them back on. They would all have to go shopping today. They certainly can't go around in clothes covered with dirt and blood.

The witch walked over to the small desk in the corner of the room, taking a seat. On it, was a small pad of paper, a pen, and a phone. She picked up the receiver and dialed "0" for the motel attendant.

"Morning Mist," he answered in a bored, slightly annoyed tone.

"Uh...yes, Buffy Summers in room 316, please?" Willow asked. She heard a click, and then a beep on the line, and assumed she was being transferred.

"Mmmm...ulo?" a groggy Buffy answered.

"Morning, Buff," Willow replied, "how did the Not-So-Chosen One sleep last night?"

"Ugg...Like she was sleeping off the worlds biggest hangover, plus being run over by a truck. God, Will, I felt like I hadn't slept in months."

"You hadn't really. We were all starting to feel the wrath of grumpy, sleep deprived Buffy towards the end, there. I am just glad it is all finally over," Willow confessed. "Unfortunately, though, all our clothing went down with Sunnydale. We need to plan a group shopping trip when everyone is up."

"Well, Dawn is still out, and I haven't heard from Giles or Faith. It might be a little while longer."

"Yeah, Kennedy is out cold, too. She was really tired last night."

"Mmmhmmm...I'll **bet** she was tired," Buffy said sarcastically, smiling on the other end of the phone line.

"And what exactly is that supposed to mean, Missy?"

"I'm sure you managed to **wear** her out," Buffy teased. "Although, she does have slayer stamina now."

Buffy could almost feel Willow blush through the phone. "I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about."

"Sure you don't. Tell you what, I'll wake Dawn, and you work on Kennedy. Then we can all go out for breakfast. I'll call Xander, too."

"Sounds good, Buff. See ya in about an hour. Bye," Willow replied, and hung up the phone.

She walked back over towards the bed, and sat down on the edge, staring at Kennedy with a smile. "Kenn...morning..." She said softly, stroking Kennedy's arm with her fingertips. When that didn't get a response, she bent down and placed soft kisses on the slayer's lips. Still no response from the slayer. Willow sighed. She walked around the other side of the bed and climbed back under the covers. The witch snuggled up close to her sleeping girlfriend, and ran her hand over the woman's tummy. She kissed her more firmly on the lips, and then trailed kisses behind the brunette's ear. Finally, Kennedy began to stir.

"Mmm...Willow?" She asked, her eyes still closed.

"Morning sleepyhead," Willow answered.

"What time is it?"

"A little after 10."

Kennedy rolled over, searching for her pillow to put over her head. When she failed to find it, she settled for stealing Willow's.

Willow laughed and lifted the corner of her stolen pillow. She smiled at Kennedy's one eye, which was scrunched tightly closed. "Kenn, we gotta get up. We have to go shopping for some new clothes." All she received in response was an annoyed grunt.

"Okay," Willow sighed, "you can stay in bed, as long as you don't mind missing breakfast."

This got the slayer's attention. "I'm up, I'm up."

Willow laughed. "I guess Faith was right about the whole hungry and horny thing."

Kennedy glared at the comment, and then tackled Willow, tickling her mercilessly. The covers slipped off, and Kennedy realized she was still naked. She ended the tickle attack and began kissing Willow instead. "Hmm...I think you're right. Faith **was** on to something."

Willow planted one final kiss on Kennedy's soft lips before moving out from under her. "We gotta get you dressed if we are going to make it to breakfast. I told Buffy we would meet her, Xander and Dawn in an hour."

"I can't help myself. You're just so beautiful, I can't keep my hands off you," the young slayer explained, making the most innocent puppy-dog eyes she could manage.

Willow grinned and helped Kennedy off the bed. The two tried to get ready. Every five minutes they would stop for a heated kiss, or a little more. After dressing and undressing three times, they were finally ready, and out the door.

Once the group arrived at the diner, they piled out of the bus, ignoring the stares of people around them. They **were** quite a sight. Five adults coming out of a school bus wearing clothes that looked ragged and torn. At least they had managed to scrub most of the blood out.

Inside, they were seated at a booth barely big enough to fit them all. They took turns ordering plates of greasy breakfast food, and watered down cups of coffee.

"I'll have you know that I got very little sleep last night, thanks to our personal narrator, who took it upon himself to verbally re-live **every** aspect of the fight. Even parts he hadn't witnessed," Xander exclaimed, "What I want to know, is, who let him on the bus, and why, exactly did I get the privilege of sharing a room with him?"

Buffy answered, "We just thought you were the strongest and most able to endure the pain in the ass that is Andrew."

Dawn chimed in, "That and everyone else was either paired up with a sister or a girlfriend." As soon as the words came out, Dawn regretted them. "Oops."

"Dawn!" Buffy scolded.

Willow and Kennedy glanced away sadly.

Xander looked as if he had been physically burned. "I uh...gotta run to the bathroom, ladies. Nature calls. I'll be right back." He quickly rose from the table and headed toward the back of the restaurant.

"Xander? I'm Sor..." Dawn tried to apologize. When her grief-stricken friend was out of sight, Dawn redirected her attention back to the table. "My god. Could I possibly have said anything stupider?"

Willow tried to soothe her, "It's okay Dawnie. He'll be alright. It will just take some time. For a while, though, things will be tough. We will all miss Anya."

Buffy raised an eyebrow at Willow.

"Yes, even me." Willow elaborated. "She may not have been my favorite ex-demon, but I still considered her family."

Just then, the food arrived. A stack of pancakes for Dawn, an omelet and bacon for Xander, oatmeal and half a grapefruit for Willow, eggs and home fries for Buffy, and for Kennedy: three eggs over easy, a stack of toast, two slabs of ham, four slices of bacon, and a side order of biscuits with gravy.

Everyone at the table stared at the smorgasbord in front of Kennedy. "What? I was hungry," she defended.

Buffy smiled knowingly. "It's a new slayer thing. When you first get your powers, all you want to do is eat and fuc...I mean, fight." Buffy blushed and looked away. So did Willow.

The five ate in relative silence, interrupted occasionally by a funny quip from Xander, or battle talk between Buffy and Kennedy. When they were finished, they divvied up the and headed off to the local mall.

Inside the mall, the group split up, with Kennedy and Willow going off together. They looked through racks of clothes, and tried on a multiple outfits before choosing a few that they liked. Kennedy got a new leather jacket, a couple pairs of jeans, and some t shirts. Willow chose a few new shirts, a pair of jeans, and a skirt long enough to be comfortable, but short enough to see a lust filled stare on her girlfriends face.

Despite the distraction of shopping, Willow couldn't get Xander out of her head. She knew he must be feeling awful. She remembered how hard the first few days without Tara were...well, the first few days **after** she stopped trying to destroy the world. She had to hand it to Xander, he was keeping to together much better than she had. Still, she knew how much pain he must be hiding behind all those jokes, and fake smiles. She made a mental note to talk with him later.

The girls shopped for quite a while longer. They needed new bathroom supplies, pajamas, shoes, and a purse for Willow. They also got new cell phones for themselves, and for all the core Scoobies. Thankfully, a quick call home, and Kennedy was able to cover the bill for everything.

"I don't like you having to pay for everything," Willow opposed.

"It's okay. It's not like I'm going to run out of money or anything. Besides, you are my girl now. What's mine is yours." Kennedy assured her.

"Thanks, Kenn. It still feels a little weird, though. Once things go back to normal, I plan on paying my equal share of everything."

"Seriously, Willow. I care about you, and I don't want you to worry about something as silly as money."

"See, only people who have plenty of money call it silly," Willow asserted, "but, I get it, and thank you. Really."

"Is there anything else we need, or can we go grab a bite to eat. I'm starved," Kennedy admitted, rubbing her belly.

"It is getting close to dinner time," Willow agreed. "Why don't we go to that Italian restaurant at the end of the mall?"

"Mmm, you know I love Italian." Kennedy said, grinning, "Lead the way."

Once the pair entered the restaurant, they were quickly seated at a table and informed of the specials. The couple ordered, with Kennedy once again requesting enough food to feed an army, and settled in for a nice, quiet meal.

"Way better than diner food," Kennedy proclaimed.

"Darn tootin'," Willow agreed, taking a sip of her ice water.

Kennedy smiled and held back a giggle.

"What?"

"I have never heard anyone actually use the phrase 'darn tootin''. I think it's cute."

Willow wasn't sure how to respond, but she decided to take it as a compliment. "Yeah, well, after you have to endure a few of my babble fits, you won't think I'm so cute. I swear, sometimes It's like my mouth isn't even connected to my brain. I try to make a point, but everything just comes out...word mush."

Kennedy smiled. "Well, then it's good you have me. I make strong enough points for the both of us."

The food arrived quickly, and both girls moaned at the aromas emanating from their plates.

"Mmm, Willow, you need to try this." Kennedy held out a fork full of lasagna for Willow.

Willow leaned forward and accepted the bite. "Wow, it is really good." Smiling, Willow gathered a forkful of her alfredo to offer the slayer. When she looked up, something caught her attention, and she noticed an older woman scowling at the two of them. Her smile falling, Willow shrank back into her seat.

"What's wrong, baby?" Kennedy asked.

"Nothing...it's just, we have an audience. A not so happy audience." Willow stared down at her plate.

Kennedy grinned deviously, "Well, then, let's give them a show worth watching."

Willow's eyes went wide. "W...what do you mean?"

"I mean, I want some Willow smoochies, right now." Kennedy leaned across the table, closer to Willow.

"No way, not in front of all these people." Willow blushed crimson.

Kennedy put a hand to her chest. "Are you rejecting me? I'm hurt. I guess I'll just have to find my smoochies elsewhere," she said, with mock distress.

Willow glanced around nervously. She leaned forward, intending to give Kennedy a quick peck, but the slayer had other ideas. She grabbed the back of Willow's neck and held her there. Kennedy kissed Willow deeply, nipping at her lips and eliciting a soft moan from the redhead.

Willow slid back into her chair with half closed eyes. When the fog cleared inside her head, she remembered where she was. She gave a quick glance around the room. The woman who had been glaring, now wore a look of complete shock. Willow and Kennedy looked at one another and then burst into a fit of laughter.

When the giggles died down, Kennedy reached across the table and took Willow's hand. She gazed deeply into the witch's eyes, her affection for the girl as plainly evident as if she had spoken the words. She took a deep breath. "Willow...I...uh...I love you."

Willow's eyes grew wide. _'I was afraid of this. What do I say? I can't say I love you back unless I mean it, which I don't...right? I will just tell her what she means to me, and save the "l word" for when I am sure I mean it.'_ Willow squeezed Kennedy's hand. "Kenn. You make me feel so special. You are sweet, and beautiful, and honest, and brave, a..and you make me feel like I am the most important person on the planet. When you're around, I'm not just a computer geek or a witch that messes up half of her spells...I...I feel like I can do anything." Suddenly Willow felt herself tearing up. As she looked into Kennedy's deep, brown eyes, she felt her heart swell with an emotion that she hadn't experienced since... _'since Tara. I haven't felt this way since Tara. Oh, goddess. How is this possible. How can I feel this way again?' _ She looked at Kennedy with conviction. "I...I am in love with you, too. I love you, Kennedy."

The door to the motel room burst open, and Willow and Kennedy fell through the threshold, locked in a tight embrace. The pair landed on the first of the double beds, arms and legs still wrapped tightly around one another. Willow lifted one hand, and with a quick flick of her wrist, magically shut the door. "Ohh...Kenn..." Willow moaned as Kennedy ran her studded tongue over Willow's neck and nipped at her ear. In return, Willow kissed Kennedy harder and sucked forcefully on her bottom lip, making the slayer's toes curl.

Willow noticed this and giggled.

"What?" Kennedy inquired.

"Your curl your toes when I suck on your bottom lip. That is so adorable." Willow answered, beaming.

"Hey. I may be many things...hot, strong, intelligent, hot...but I am **not** adorable," Kennedy replied, defensively.

"Oooh, okay. I'm sorry," Willow teased, "I meant to say cute."

"Oh, Willow, you are so going to pay for that." Kennedy warned.

"Mmmm...cute, cute, cute, cute, cute." Willow instigated.

Kennedy lunged at Willow. "That's it. C'mere you!" The slayer grabbed Willow, and resumed their heavy make out session.

"Wait, Kennedy. I'll be right back." Willow painfully pulled herself away from her slayer, and Kennedy pouted like a child who's candy had been taken away. The brunette watched as Willow grabbed one of her shopping bags and headed into the bathroom. She made herself comfortable on the bed, removing her shoes and letting down her hair.

Moments later, Willow opened the door, revealing herself clad in a silk, burgundy night gown that draped half way down her thighs. The lower half was see through, revealing matching red panties. Kennedy's jaw hit the floor as she watched her goddess slink towards her seductively. Up until this point, Willow had been the more reserved of the two of them, allowing Kennedy to take the lead. This was a whole new side of Willow that Kennedy was immediately falling in love with.

When the slayer had finally regained her motor functions, she managed to squeak out a few words that sounded something like, "love" and "sexy".

Willow crawled onto the bed, her red hair flowing over her shoulders. She climbed on top of Kennedy's lap and looked deeply into her dark, lust filled eyes. The witch grabbed the edges of Kennedy's jacket and slid it off her shoulders. Next, she slipped her hands under the slayers shirt, and in one quick motion, lifted it, and the sports bra, clear off of Kennedy's body. She kissed the slayer first on her lips, then down her neck, and then down to her shoulders and chest.

"God, Will. Oh...Willow..." was all Kennedy could get out as Willow continued to tease her. Willow gazed into her girlfriend's eyes. "I love you, Kennedy. I never thought I would be able to feel this way about anyone ever again, but you brought me back to life, showed me how to love again. Now, I want to thank you."

"Will, you don't have to thank me..." Kennedy began.

Willow slowly crossed her arms and grabbed the bottom of her silky ensemble, lifting it up over her head and off her body. Willow brought her arms back down and wrapped them around her naked body.

"...never mind, continue with the thanking." Kennedy squeaked out.

Willow smiled and lowered herself back down onto her slayer. She kissed her, and allowed her hands to travel over the darker girl's firm stomach and soft breasts. She kissed down Kennedy's chest. When she found the slayer's nipples, she ran her tongue over one and sucked gently, while her hand massaged the other breast.

All of Kennedy's tough exterior came down, and she thought she would melt from pleasure. '_Here I am,' _She thought,_ 'a slayer, able to fight demons and bend steel with my bare hands, and yet I am reduced to a puddle of mush by the touch of this little redhead.' _

Willow crawled off of Kennedy, and the slayer whimpered from the loss of contact. However, her sadness was quickly replaced by desire when Willow began taking off the slayer's pants.

All Willow could think about was pleasing Kennedy. She undid the button on her jeans and slid down the zipper. She looped her fingers around the top of the jeans and slid them off, taking the girl's panties with them. Then, Willow began a trail of kisses starting at Kennedy's ankles and moving up the girl's leg to the inside of her thigh. Willow felt Kennedy's breath quicken and could smell her arousal. She stopped at the middle of Kennedy's thigh, deciding to make the girl wait for it a little longer. She made tiny circles with her tongue on the inside of the slayer's thigh, teasing her, until Kennedy begged for more.

Willow was only too happy to comply. She trailed her tongue all the way up Kennedy's thigh till it made contact with the slayer's smooth lips. Kennedy groaned with relief.

The witch explored every inch of Kennedy as she tasted the slayer's sweetness. Willow found Kennedy's clit, and ran her tongue around it in circles, torturously teasing her slayer. At the brunette's bucking hips and insistent moans, the redhead ran her tongue roughly against the other woman's clit, and then began sucking on it, gently. She ran her tongue down lower and slid it into the slayer's tight opening, causing the girl to writhe and dig her nails into the side of the bed.

Hearing Kennedy's cries of joy getting louder and more dire, Willow decided to give Kennedy a little more to push her over the top. She slid in two fingers and smiled at Kennedy's grateful moan. Thrusting her fingers in and out, Willow lifted herself up so she could watch her lover's decent into ecstasy. Kennedy's eyes were half closed and her mouth was open as she moved in rhythm with Willow's hand.

Realizing that this was a slayer she was dealing with, Willow pushed harder into Kennedy. Inside her, Willow curved her fingers, searching for the other girl's g-spot. At a sudden gasp from her girlfriend, Willow knew she had found it. Kennedy couldn't hold back any longer. Screaming Willow's name, she felt her orgasm course through her body.

When the last of the electricity left her body, Kennedy relaxed and Willow laid down beside her, pulling her into a tight hug.

"Oh, god, Will... I love you, Willow. I love you." Kennedy exclaimed between labored breaths.

The couple spent the rest of the night either cuddling or making love. Buffy wasn't lying about slayer stamina. By the time the sun began to rise, Willow was completely exhausted, laying in Kennedy's arms. As she felt sleep begin pull her from reality, she heard Kennedy speak to her softly.

"I love you so much, Willow. I have never loved anyone more, and I will never love anyone this much again. My heart is yours, always."

Too tired to respond verbally, Willow smiled and gave a soft sigh, before giving in completely to sleep.

Willow woke up to knock at the door. She squinted at the clock and saw that it read 8:30am. _'Who could it be this early? If it's Buffy, she is so dead,'_ Willow thought, as she got up slowly and wrapped herself in a sheet.

She made her way over to the door and pulled it open. The sunlight made Willow shield her eyes and squint to see who had interrupted her blissful unconsciousness.

When her eyes finally focused, Willow stumbled backwards, nearly dropping the sheet, in shock.

"Tara?"

Chapter 3: 

Willow backed up in shock, knocking over a lamp that was on a side table by the door. The loud sound woke a sleeping Kennedy with a start.

"Tara? Baby?" Willow asked, tears beginning to fall. She fell to her knees as her legs were too weak to hold her.

Tara stayed in the doorway. "It's me. Oh, Willow."

Kennedy grabbed a long shirt off the floor and put it on, quickly. She leapt from the bed and stood between Willow and Tara.

"Willow, it's a trick. It must be the First," Kennedy said, before turning her attention to Tara. "Get out of here." She said in a low, threatening tone. "Leave Willow alone or so help me, god, I will find a way to kick your non-corporeal ass all the way back to Hell. Again."

Tara looked confused. "Willow? Who is this?"

Before Willow could respond, Kennedy yelled, "I said get out!" and lunged at Tara, knocking her to the ground.

Kennedy jumped back to her feet, shock registering on her face. "Wait...how did...but... I shouldn't have been able to touch you." She shook her head, confused.

Tara slowly rose, rubbing her injured back.

However, that was all the confirmation Willow needed. "It's really you! Tara, oh Tara! You came back to me!" She pulled herself to her feet and half ran, half crawled over to Tara. She wrapped herself tightly around Tara's legs and cried into her waist, her body shaking from the emotions erupting inside her. Her Tara was back. It was really her. She smelled the same, looked the same. She was even wearing Willow's favorite blue and yellow dress. It was the dress Tara had worn when she sang to Willow in the park. It was also the dress Willow had chosen to burry her in.

Tara got down to her knees and held Willow reassuringly, running her hands over the girl's hair and back. "It's okay, Willow. I'm here. Oh, I have missed you."

Kennedy watched the exchange with a mix of hurt and jealousy. _'Now that Tara is back, Willow will never want me.'_ Kennedy could no longer hold back her tears, so she grabbed some clothes and ran out the door.

Willow looked up at the sudden movement. "Kenn, wait!" she called out to Kennedy's retreating form, but it was too late.

Tara gathered Willow up in her arms and walked her over towards the bed. The two sat down and held one another, crying for what felt like hours. Finally, Willow composed herself enough to pull back from Tara's arms. She looked deep into the blonde witch's cool, blue eyes and could tell she was the real thing. "I don't understand. You were...and now...what happened? How...how did this happen?"

Tara looked back at Willow's red face, swollen from crying. "I'm not completely sure. All I know is that I died, and was somewhere...else... somewhere nice. I don't know where it was or how long I had been there, but I was happy. Then, I felt myself being pulled back into this plane of existence. When I came back, there were all these people around me." Tara's face grew sad, and slightly afraid. "Th..they were wearing cloaks and their eyes were cut up into symbols. I was chained up in a cave somewhere." Tara paused. She looked as if she didn't want to go on.

"It's okay, baby. What happened?" Willow prodded, gently.

Hesitantly, Tara continued, "Buffy was there. She...She talked to me and told me I had to stop you from using magic. Sh..she said that you would destroy the world...destroy everyone, if I didn't tell you to never use magic again. She knew that you would listen to me" Tara stared at the wall of he motel room, but seemed as if she was reliving the experience she'd had in the cave. "I **knew** she was wrong," the blonde continued, "I knew that you had changed. Wherever I was before, I could feel it. So, I told Buffy that I w..wouldn't. But she was angry, and wouldn't let me leave till I agreed. Why would Buffy want me to do that, Willow? And, why would she make those men keep me locked up that way. I don't understand." Tara looked away, ashamed and scared, at the memory.

"Tara, that wasn't Buffy."

"B..but she looked just like her. And, she knew things...about us...personal things."

"I know, but it wasn't her. It was the First."

Tara looked at Willow confused.

Willow clarified. "The First is evil. Evil in it's truest form. We had been fighting it all last year. The First can take on the form of any person who has died. That's why Kennedy thought you were the First when she saw you." Willow's eyes suddenly grew wide. "Oh, goddess! Kennedy! She must be so upset." Willow buried her head in her hands.

"Willow? Is K..Kennedy your...Is she...your g..girlfriend?" Tara asked in a shaky, barely audible voice. She closed her eyes and looked away, as if not being able to see Willow's response would keep her from hearing it as well.

Willow hadn't heard Tara stutter like that in a while. She felt ashamed for causing Tara to feel so badly. She didn't want to make Tara more upset, but knew she had to be honest. "Yes. She is."

Tara's head sank lower, and she buried her face in her hands.

Willow needed to explain. "Tara. When you...when you were gone. I was so upset. I felt like my heart had been ripped out of me, and there was nothing left but an empty shell. I shut myself off from everyone. When Kennedy came along, I resisted her. I didn't want to open myself up to being hurt again, but even more, I didn't want to feel like I was betraying you. After a long time, I realized that I couldn't live that way any more. Kennedy helped me learn to live again."

Tara still didn't respond.

Willow persisted, "I waited for you. I held onto you in my heart, because I knew that as long as I did, we would always be together." Willow felt fresh tears stream down her face. "But, eventually, I had to deal with the fact that you were gone and I couldn't spend my life waiting for someone who would never come back. But now, somehow, you are back. Oh, Tara, I missed you so much." Willow held on to Tara tightly, needing to feel her lost lover's body, solid underneath her hands.

Tara held on tightly to Willow, as well. "How long have I been…gone?"

"A little over a year."

Tara squeezed her eyes closed. "D..do you l..love her?"

Willow couldn't answer. She just held on tighter, and cried harder.

Kennedy paced back and forth in the small alley behind the motel. She couldn't get too far without transportation, and Giles had taken all the junior slayers out to breakfast in the bus.

"How dare she just show up out of nowhere like that!" Kennedy yelled to herself, angrily wiping away a tear, "Wonderful, perfect, Tara. How dare she. Willow is **my** girl now, and she can't just come back and take her away."

Kennedy kicked a trash can to drive the point home. She didn't notice Faith coming up behind her.

"Whoa there, Slick. What'd the trash can do to you?" The older slayer leaned against the brick side of the building and put a cigarette to her lips, lighting it, while she continued to assess Kennedy.

"Go away, Faith." Kennedy warned.

"Ouch. That hurt my feelings. Here I thought we were such good buds." Faith mocked, "So, what happened? Red kick you out?"

"I said stay out of it, Faith."

"Nu uh. If some shit's 'bout to fly in scooby land, I'm not gonna be outta the loop. Spill."

Kennedy sighed and gave in. "Tara's back."

Faith choked on a puff of smoke. "Say what? That's impossible. It's gotta be the First." Faith stood up straighter, ready to head for a fight.

Kennedy dismissed the older slayer's fear, "It's not. I pushed her over."

"Damn, Slick. People just don't seem to stay dead around here. How's Red feel about all'a this? She must be losin' it right about now," Faith said, returning to her relaxed position.

"I don't really know. I took off when I got tired of watching the whole hug n' cry fest."

Faith shrugged. "I only met the girl once. Didn't seem like much to me. One'a those quiet types."

"But, that's just it! Tara's got that whole shy 'n sweet thing workin' for her. Even when she was **dead** I couldn't compete with her." Kennedy grew solemn and looked at the floor. "Willow loves her. More than she could ever love me. I just...I don't want to lose her."

"Yeah, well, ya kinda picked the wrong chick to want to do the whole 'picket fence' thing with. Red's got a history of not being able to make up her mind." Faith took another puff on her cigarette before continuing. "First, she was madly in love with Oz, then she falls for Tara, and Dog Boy is history. Next thing ya know, Tara kicks the bucket and you come along. Gotta say, I'm not sure how this one's gonna turn out."

Kennedy rolls her eyes. "Thanks, Faith. That was really helpful. I feel much better now," She says, sarcastically.

"Hey, you want a shoulder to cry on, go look for B. I just tell it like it is. Willow went nuts when Tara died. She nearly destroyed the **world**. Now, I'm not too familiar with the whole 'love and commitment' thing, but if I had to find a shining example, those are the two I woulda picked."

Kennedy sighed and kicked the gravel beneath her boots. She hated to admit it, but she knew Faith was right. Now that Tara was back, she and Willow would be the happy couple they were meant to be, and Kennedy...well, Kennedy would just be a memory.

"It feels like this is all a dream," Willow said, as Tara held her close, "like any minute now, I will wake up and you will be gone again." The witch refused to let go of Tara, as if doing so would cause her to disappear. She could barely blink without fear.

"It's okay, Willow. I'm not going anywhere." Tara comforted.

Another few moments passed as the two sat in silence, content just to hold one another. Tara smiled. "Your hair has gotten so long. I like it."

Willow smiled back.

Just then, there was a knock at the door.

"Umm...one sec!" Willow called out.

Willow gathered some clothes from a bag on the floor. Tara noticed what the redhead was doing and turned her back, respectfully, as Willow dressed.

After pulling a on a fresh shirt and pants, Willow walked over to the door and looked out the peep hole. "It's Buffy." The witch took a deep breath and slowly opened the door.

Buffy entered the room without hesitation. "Hey, Will. I just wanted to stop by and see if my best friend and her lust crazed girlfriend wanted to go to an early movie. Just, no horror...cause you know, after facing down the great-grand-daddy of evil in a pit below the Earth, the bad guys in the flicks...not so scary. Hey, Tara." Buffy did a double take. "Wait, Tara?"

Buffy's face morphed from shock to anger in about two seconds flat. "Willow get behind me. It's the First, again."

Willow groaned. "I just went through this with Kennedy. It's not the First. It's really Tara."

Buffy looked skeptical. "That's impossible. Tara's dead."

"Yeah? So were you. We are hardly fit to decide what is possible and what's not. Believe me, Buffy, it really is Tara." To prove it, Willow walked over and put her arms around the blonde witch. "See. The First brought her back before Sunnydale went down, as a tool to get to me. Bringers kept her trapped in a cave somewhere. My best guess is that when we defeated the First's army, it gave up and released Tara."

Buffy still wasn't convinced. "Then, how did she know where to find us?"

Willow opened her mouth to counter Buffy's accusatory question, but she had to close it again when she realized she didn't have an answer.

"I think I can answer that." Tara began. "When I escaped the... Bringers?… I tried to find my way back to Sunnydale, but when I got there, Sunnydale was...gone."

"You can blame Spike for that." Buffy interrupted, rolling her eyes.

Tara looked off in the distance, trying to remember. "I got scared. I th..thought something had happened to Willow. Then, I remembered the Tinkerbelle spell. I used it to find my way here...to find my way to Willow."

"Wow. I just cant get over this. I mean, you have been gone for a year, and now, here you are; standing in front of me. It's just...amazing." Buffy admitted.

Willow held on to Tara tighter, "How do you think I felt."

Buffy walked over and joined the group hug. "We all missed you so much, Tara. Dawn is going to completely spaz. Everyone will be so glad to have you back."

Suddenly, Buffy thought of something and pulled out of the embrace. "Tara, could you give Willow and I a second alone?"

"Sure."

Tara walked into the bathroom to give the other two some privacy. Buffy turned to Willow, concerned, "Will, what about Kennedy? Where is she?"

"I don't know. She was pretty upset when Tara showed up. She grabbed some stuff and took off. Buffy, she looked like she might cry. I've **never** seen Kennedy cry. What am I going to do?"

"Are you two going to break up?"

"I don't know. I mean, I love Kennedy, but Tara is my girl. She was supposed to be my always. Now she's back, and I...I don't know what to do." Willow put her head on Buffy's shoulder and fought back tears.

Buffy rubbed her back to soothe her. "It'll be okay, Will. Everything will work out. It always does."

Kennedy marched up the flight of cement steps leading to her motel room. Her face was set and determined. _'I am a slayer. Slayers fight for what they want, and I want Willow. Tara can't just come back from the dead and expect to have everything back the way it was! She died, and I was the one there for Willow. Me. I was the shoulder she cried on. I was the one who woke her up from the nightmares. She loves me, and she is my girl now.'_

The young slayer pushed open the door to her room. Willow was still wrapped in Buffy's arms.

"Willow, I need to talk to you." Kennedy demanded.

Willow looked up from Buffy's shoulder, and slowly pulled away. "O..okay."

Buffy gave Willow one last squeeze. "I'm gonna head out, but if you need anything, anything at all, just call me."

"Thanks Buff."

Kennedy waited till the door had closed behind Buffy, before turning angrily to Willow. "Willow. I know that you are probably really happy now that Tara is back and all, but I am still your girlfriend. You cant just brush me off and pretend like the last year didn't happen! How dare you even think about doing that to me."

Tara opened the bathroom door a crack.

"Kenn, I never said..." Willow put a hand out to comfort Kennedy, but the slayer pulled away.

"I mean, we have been through so much together, and to just give it all up is...it's just wrong, and I wont let you." Kennedy looked deep into Willow's eyes and saw the anguish and confusion in them. All the anger left her body, and her voice cracked, "I love you. You're my way, remember. You're my everything."

Kennedy squeezed her eyes closed to try and stop the tears from falling. "I can't breathe when I'm not near you. I look into your eyes, and everything in the world seems perfect. There is no evil or death. There is no pain. When I look at you, all I see is joy and love. I have never met anyone who makes my heart melt, and my soul dance like you do. I can't lose you. Please, Willow" Kennedy begged, "Please don't leave me."

Willow paced back and forth across the small room. "I don't know! I just...don't know." She stopped and faced Kennedy. "Since the day Tara was taken from me, all I have ever hoped and prayed for was to have her back." She watched Kennedy's face reflect the hurt she was feeling. "But, everything is different now. I met you, and everything changed. And...I tried not to, but I fell in love with you. How can I choose between two people when my heart belongs to them both?"

Tara emerged from the bathroom with tears streaming down her cheeks. "You d..don't have to. Y..you should be with Kennedy. She l..loves you. I can tell. I just want you to be ha...happy."

Willow turned away from them both and put her hands over her ears. "Stop! I...I can't deal with this."

The room sat in silence for another few minutes, until Willow finally turned around. She looked at Kennedy with resolve face, and the slayer knew what was coming.

"Kenn, I love you. You were there for me when I was broken. You put me back together again. You showed me how to love, and how to feel. You can't possibly imagine what that means to me. But, right now I need some space to figure myself out. I'm not saying that we wont be back together again, but I need to be alone right now, so I can think clearly."

Kennedy stared in disbelief at Willow, before turning silently and running from the room. Willow stared at the empty space where Kennedy had been and let the tears flow freely down her cheeks.

Tara fiddled with her hands, restlessly. Knowing that she was the cause for Willow's pain was too much to bare. And, as much as she disliked Kennedy, she had a great deal of understanding for the girl. The two of them were very different people, but they had both fallen in love with the same smart, beautiful, quirky redhead, and Tara knew she would be devastated if she were in Kennedy's place.

"I...I should go, Willow. You should have some space right now, and..and I should go."

"No, Tara. Please don't leave. I'm sorry to have put you through that. Please stay." Willow pleaded. Having not gotten much sleep last night, coupled with the emotionally draining events of this morning, left Willow exhausted. "Will you just hold me?"

"Okay." Tara answered with a soft smile on her lips.

The two made there way over to one of the beds and laid down. Tara held Willow around her waist, stroking her hair, as the witch slowly drifted off to sleep.

Chapter 4: 

It'd been a week since Tara had returned. Everyone was so excited to have her back again, that she and Willow hardly had any time to themselves. Between Dawn following Tara everywhere like a puppy and Buffy watching over them both, always the protector, it was a rare and beautiful occasion when they could just spend time alone.

Tara had moved into Willow's room, but stayed in the other double bed. The two had agreed not to jump back into their relationship until Willow had sorted out her feelings for Kennedy. True to her word, Kennedy had not given Willow up without a fight. She would pop up everywhere the two witches went. Though she willingly gave up her room to Tara, Kennedy always snuck by after patrol to see what they were doing.

To Kennedy's relief, Willow and Tara weren't doing anything this week except enjoying one another's company. They went clothes shopping for Tara and stayed up late talking about all the things that had happened over the last year. It was quickly becoming a normal way of life for Willow and Tara and everyone else in the scooby circle. However, Willow never forgot the pain she had felt over losing Tara, and refused to let the blonde out of her sight for more than a few minutes at a time.

On Saturday, the two young witches joined the gang to go to a carnival in town. It was a short distance away, so they decided to leave the bus, and walk to the carnival. Willow and Tara walked arm in arm, trailing a short distance behind Buffy, Giles, Xander, Faith, and Kennedy.

"Ya know, I think carnivals discriminate against us, men," Xander proclaimed, "Don't you agree, Giles?"

Giles took a moment to decide whether or not to humor the boy, and then, with a sigh, dove in. "How so?"

"Well, when a guy goes to a carnival, he is naturally expected to master all the games. Now, these games are made to test a man's manliness. For example, knocking over bottles with a baseball, or throwing a football through a tire. All tests of strength and skill."

"Go on."

"The only problem is, you can't win. They're rigged against us. Therefore, we can't win the big stuffed animal our girlfriend has her eye on, and we are doomed to spend more and more money in pursuit of said stuffed animal, only to be defeated again and again, thus tarnishing our manly reputations in the process."

By this point, most of the scooby gang was tuning Xander out, but he continued on. "Why can't they have a ballet twirling competition or a makeup applying table? Why must everything revolve around throwing, shooting, or breaking something? Its a conspiracy. That's right! I bet carnivals are really all part of this big conspiracy run by a by a bunch of man hating women out to rob us blind and stomp on our dignity!"

Xander looked around at the five women glaring at him, most of whom could kill him without even breaking a sweat. "Or not."

Giles shook his head. "Xander, must you take every little thing and make it into a big tirade? We are simply going out to have a good time. After all the evil we have faced and the wars we have fought, one would think you would have a certain modicum of appreciation for the small joys life has to offer. Why create such a ruckus over something so trivial?"

Xander looked at him with a confused expression.

Faith chimed in, "In other words, shut up."

Xander threw his arms in the air dramatically. "Now why didn't he just say that? Why does he always have to be so British about it?"

Willow sped up to fall in step with her best friend. She gave Xander a tight hug. "Poor Xander, he's just upset 'cause last time we went to a carnival, Buffy beat him at every game. His sensitive ego was bruised."

Laughter trickled through the gang as they approached the entrance to the carnival. Buffy started jumping up and down like a little kid. "Giles! Giles! Can I pleeeease have some cotton candy?" She asked, giving him her best puppy dog eyes.

Giles sighed, playing along, "Alright, but don't spoil your dinner."

"Yay!" Buffy shouted, bouncing towards the concession stand. On the way, she grabbed Faith by the elbow and dragged her along.

Xander went tearing off in another direction. "Look, Giles, a gun game. I'm good at the gun games! Come on, I'll show them who's a manly man!"

Giles walked slowly to catch up with him, leaving an awkward threesome standing alone. Willow looked back and forth between Tara and Kennedy, waiting for someone to make the first move.

Tara cleared her throat. "Why don't we play some games? I like darts."

"Then darts it is," Willow announced, "I think they have a stand over there." Willow pointed, indicating a stand on the left. It had a basket full of darts and the back wall was covered in bright, colorful balloons.

The three walked over and asked for nine darts, each girl taking three. They paid and took aim. Willow popped one balloon, revealing a card with an "S" on it. The carnie handed her a plastic whistle. "Uh..thanks."

Tara threw her darts, landing one "S" and one "M." She was handed a small white teddy bear.

Kennedy aimed for the darts on the top corners of the wall, assuming that since they were the toughest to hit, they would contain the larger prizes. She was right. Kennedy landed all three balloons with three loud pops. Each tag had an "L" on it. The carnie told her that three larges got her anything in the stand. The slayer chose a big purple puppy dog that was at least 3 1/2 ft long. She smiled, and promptly handed the dog to Willow.

Willow beamed at the gift and hugged the dog tight. "Thanks, Kenn! He's so cute!"

Tara shifted uncomfortably. "W..why don't we ride some rides?"

"Sure." Willow agreed.

Just then, Faith walked over with Buffy. Buffy was holding a little pink stuffed pig. "Look, Will! Faith won me a new Mr. Gordo! He's Mr. Gordo the second," she announced, proudly.

Faith shrugged. "It was nothin'. Don't make a big deal outta it." She turned to Kennedy, "Hey, Slick, you wanna ride The Swirlinator with me an' B?"

Kennedy thought it over. "Only if Buffy sits next to you, not me. I just watched that girl eat, like five **pounds** of cotton candy, and I don't want it making a return visit all over my new jacket."

Willow heard Buffy protesting loudly as the three slayers walked away, leaving her and Tara alone.

Tara looked relieved. She took Willow's arm and they started walking towards the rides. Along the way, they passed Giles and Xander at a stand with rifles. Long strings were tied from one end of the stand to the other, leading to small square targets made of paper, with red stars in the middle. Giles was leaning against the frame of the stand, holding a large stuffed lion, gloating, as Xander continued shooting one of the rifles at a target. A small pile of papers (with their stars still very much in tact) sat beside him. Xander stomped his foot as the last pellet flew from the gun and he had lost again. Giles laughed as Xander dug into his wallet for more money, muttering about conspiracies.

Willow took Tara's hand and helped her climb from the platform to the moving seats of the ferris wheel. They sat side by side and pulled down the safety bar. The sun was just starting to set and the girls wanted to see the spectacular view from as high up as they could. Willow used to be afraid of heights, but after all the terrifying things she had faced since meeting Buffy back in 10th grade, the young witch no longer feared things like that. Squeezing her eyes closed, she pretended to be scared, just so Tara would hold her hand.

As the big wheel turned, the two girls laughed, and let all thoughts of sadness or confusion fade away. They watched the people below them shrink to the size of ants. The cool night air blew through the girls' hair, and they felt both calmed and exhilarated. The ride paused, leaving Willow and Tara dangling at the highest point of the ride. The sky around them had turned from blue to a beautiful blend of oranges and reds. Soft shadows played across the faces of the two former lovers as they looked deep into one another's eyes. There were no thoughts of death or of evil. No thoughts of grief or loneliness. There was only the two of them; deep pools of blue gazing into emerald green.

Willow unconsciously inched closer to Tara. Tara responded in turn, lifting her hand to cup Willow's soft cheek. Seconds felt like hours as the two brought their bodies, their lips, closer and closer, until they met in the most gentle and loving kiss they had ever shared. Fueled by the electricity in her lips, Willow pulled Tara tighter against her body and deepened the kiss, moving her tongue across Tara's lips, seeking entrance. Tara instantly complied, allowing Willow to explore. The redhead sighed with satisfaction. Tara's mouth was warm and familiar, yet new and exciting. Like a favorite book that she hadn't read in years, Willow rediscovered every inch of Tara's mouth, savoring the taste.

Tara could feel the heat building inside her. She ran her fingers through Willow's silky red locks, and lost herself in this long awaited kiss. Burning to taste even more of Willow, she gently pushed her own tongue into Willow's mouth and ran it over every delectable surface. She nipped at Willow's lips and dueled with her tongue, feeling a familiar dampness building between her legs.

The ride began to move again and the two were forced to release one another. They were still staring into each other's eyes and breathing heavily when they stopped at the platform, and the carnie coaxed them off the ride.

The two walked off to find the others. As much as were enjoying the carnival, they were now anxious to get home.

Xander, Giles, and Kennedy joined Willow and Tara on the walk home. Buffy and Faith had decided to stay a little longer. The men bantered back and forth as they walked the short distance back to the motel. Kennedy took notice of Willow and Tara who were trailing behind, not saying a word. She also noticed that they were holding hands. Kennedy clenched her jaw and stuffed her hands into her pockets. Her distress went unnoticed by the group, and when they reached the motel, and everyone split off to go to their rooms, Kennedy went back out into the night to patrol. She **needed** to slay something. _'I pity any vampires who come out tonight.'_

Minutes later, Willow slid her key card into the metal slot and pushed open the door to their motel room. Inside, the bland, uninspired furniture and décor looked disheveled and had been draped with various bags and articles of clothing, just enough so that the room felt a bit more homey. Willow added to this by propping up her newly gifted stuffed animal in a corner, his lopsided grin mocking the obvious discomfort between the two witches.

Tara excused herself to use the bathroom and Willow sat down on the edge of the bed, picking at a stray piece of string hanging from it. She didn't know why it was suddenly so awkward between them. Less than half an hour before, they had been gazing lovingly into one another's eyes and fantasizing about this very moment. Now that the moment was actually here, Willow couldn't help but feel nervous. She knew she wanted Tara. Emotionally and physically. But, still, she couldn't shake the feeling that she was betraying Kennedy.

Tara opened the bathroom door, interrupting Willow's guilt ridden train of thought. She sat down beside willow and waited for those perfect green eyes to look back at hers. When they did, Tara planted gentle kisses on each eyelid.

"We don't have to do this, Willow. If you don't feel comfortable…"

Willow studied the blonde. '_Why should I feel guilty? Kennedy and I aren't together, and this is TARA for crying out loud. I've been dreaming of this moment for over a year.' _Her mind suddenly made up, Willow pulled Tara close to her and kissed her deeply. The two gradually laid down on the bed without pulling away from one another, and Willow slowly slid a hand under Tara's shirt.

Tara breathed in the familiarity and comfort of her lover. It felt good. It felt right. It felt like the deep connection between the girls had never fully disappeared. She took in a sharp breath as Willow pinched gently at her nipple. Tara's clothes began to feel itchy and binding, so she encouraged Willow to peel them off one by one.

Before long, both girls were naked and sweating. Willow's fingers were deep inside Tara as they rocked. "I've missed you so much," the blonde witch breathed.

"Me too, Baby," Willow responded between sighs. While one hand was buried between Tara's legs, the other softly caressed the girl's pale skin. She reacquainted herself with Tara's smooth, soft belly and perfect, pink nipples. She ran her fingers over the girl's moistened mouth and delicate neck. Every part of Tara was a memory. She felt the same, looked the same, smelled the same. The time that they spent apart was forgotten entirely.

Every movement was perfectly in sync and every sound was in harmony with the other's. Together they moved fluidly, switching the attention from one girl to the other with a kind of ease only known by those who have been fortunate enough to have loved, and made love to, the same person for years. No one night stand could ever create this kind of beauty.

When they were exhausted and blissfully sore, they curled up together and slept a heavy, dreamless sleep.

Chapter 5: 

Willow stirred groggily out of her slumber the next morning to an obnoxious ringing noise. After the insistent ringing had repeated itself two more times, the red head's brain finally registered that it was morning, and that the bothersome noise was a phone ringing. Next, she noticed an arm wrapping softly around her waist. Keeping her eyes squeezed shut, she smiled and mumbled, "Can you get that, Kenn?"

The body pressed against her back went rigid. Immediately, Willow realized her mistake and corrected herself. "No…I mean, Tara. I mean…ugh, I'm sorry," she apologized to the girl in her bed.

The only response she received was another shrill cry from the telephone. Chastising herself, Willow crawled out of bed and made her way to the desk.

"Hello?" She answered.

"Willow. Yes, it's Giles. Good morning. Do you think you could spare some time this morning for a meeting? As much as we are all enjoying this time off, we can't stay in a motel forever. Plans for our next move need to be laid out."

"Oh, uh, sure Giles. Where?"

"Out back at the picnic tables in an hour?"

"No problem. See you then," She replied, and set the phone back on it's receiver.

Willow turned around to face Tara who was still bundled in covers, pretending to be asleep. "Giles called a Scooby meeting. Would you like to come?" She asked.

Tara thought it over for a few seconds before declining. Willow respectfully gave her some space, but not before planting a soft kiss on the girl's forehead.

Willow stared at her feet as they slid through the dew soaked grass. When she arrived at the picnic table, she discovered that Giles, Xander and Buffy were already present. The witch took a seat next to her mentor and across from her two best friends. The four were all in a silent state of reflection as they waited for the others to arrive.

Willow smelled burning tobacco and greeted Faith without turning around.

"Hey, Red. Fancy seeing all of you here. So early in the goddamned morning," Faith grumbled, and took a seat next to Buffy.

Giles smiled at her. "Will Robin be joining us?"

"Nah," Faith replied, "kinda tuckered him out last night."

Giles nodded his head and began to give his glasses a good scrubbing.

Last to arrive was Kennedy. She sauntered over to the table and greeted the crowd. Noticing that the only seat left was next to Willow, Kennedy cleared her throat uncomfortably and sat down.

Willow averted her eyes and feigned interest in an ant making its way across the wooden surface. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed that Kennedy was wearing a new jean jacket and a plunging white V neck t-shirt. She looked amazing. Willow tried not to think about how beautiful Kennedy looked, or how sad her eyes seemed. She swallowed the guilt that rose like bile in her throat because of last nights activities. While she had done nothing wrong, she still felt shame weighing on her shoulders as heavily as a fur coat. She was sure Kennedy could simply look at her and tell what she had done…see the betrayal emanating from her thin frame.

If the brunette knew something, she kept it well hidden. Kennedy tried to keep her cool under the uncomfortable circumstances. "So are we gonna just sit around all day or are we gonna talk?"

Giles cleared his throat. "Ahem…right. So, while we have all grown quite comfortable with our living situation here, I'm sure you are aware that it cannot be permanent. Now that we have regained our footing, I feel it is best to continue on the move."

"And where might we be moving?" Asked Xander.

"I've given it a great deal of thought and I think our best bet would be Cleveland. As another entrance to the Hellmouth, it is likely that we will be needed there the most," Giles argued, "And, we must also decide how to go about locating other slayers. There could be hundreds, thousands of girls out there who have no idea what on Earth is happening to them."

Buffy's wandering gaze suddenly snapped to attention. "**Another **Hellmouth? You have got to be kidding me. The last one chewed me up, killed me **twice **and then spit me back out. I don't think I could survive this all over again." The slayer had a look of barely controlled panic in her eyes as she begged her father figure for mercy.

"I understand, Buffy, but…"

"No, you don't understand!" she interrupted. "You don't understand anything. I have lost friends, family, people that I love, all for the good of mankind. And, frankly, I've had it! I'm retired."

Xander looked at the ground at the mention of loved ones lost. He scratched at the thick stubble on his chin and said simply, "I concur."

The debate continued. Willow had nearly forgotten about her ex lover a mere six inches to her right, when a soft gust of wind blew the scent of vanilla and lilac from Kennedy's hair to tangle with the smells of earth and morning in an assault on the witch's senses. Willow was dizzy with the sweet, familiar aroma. It left her with a desire to scoot closer to the young slayer as well as a new pang of guilt.

The meeting droned on for another hour before Giles called it quits. The truth of the matter was that no one was really ready to move on just yet. They all agreed to reconvene in a week.

As the group got up to leave, Willow followed Kennedy a few steps and stopped her with a hand on the girl's arm. "Hey."

"Hey," Kennedy responded. Neither girl looked directly at the other. This was the first time since Tara had arrived that the two were alone. Their minds were cluttered with thoughts and words, but neither could formulate any substantial conversation. And, after what felt like the longest, quietest silence ever, Kennedy began to walk away.

Willow watched the other girl walk away, and before she could stop herself, yelled, "I miss you."

Kennedy stopped for a moment, and turned back to her with a pained expression. But, just as quickly as it happened, it was over. The pain changed to anger again, and the slayer stalked off.

Willow watched her retreating form and silently let the tears fall. She wandered over to a nearby tree and sat down against its firm roots. What started quietly, soon became a flood of sobs as the witch let all the stress and pain of the past week come to the surface. She sat there until the sun beat down on her, turning her pale skin pink and drying her tear soaked shirt.

She stood with the aid of the solid tree trunk and stretched out her stiff limbs, then walked glumly back toward the building. To her right, she noticed that Andrew had taken up residence at the same picnic table the group had recently vacated. Willow realized that she had hardly seen the boy all week. Before she could talk herself out of it, she wandered over and sat down across from him.

Andrew barely noticed the new presence, as he was engrossed in writing in a spiral notebook. The pages were filled with words written in florescent purple ink. It was plain to see that the bulk of the writing was in paragraphs, but little, chicken-scratch side notes also lined the sides of the pages, and in a few spaces, pictures had been drawn.

Willow looked closely at one of the pictures and recognized it as a stick-figure person with fangs wearing a large, jeweled necklace. "Is that Spike?" She asked.

Andrew jumped at the voice interrupting his thoughts. "Oh, Willow. Phew," He panted, with one hand to his chest. "It is in fact the heroic William the Bloody. But, you aren't supposed to look!" Andrew closed the notebook and drew it in to his chest.

"What is it about?" Willow prodded.

"It is my auto biography. The story of my treacherous journey from evil criminal mastermind to self-sacrificing protector of innocents and doer of good! Perhaps reading of my struggle with good and evil will help some other super-villain change his dastardly ways. Besides, all my videos went down with Sunnydale and these things need to be documented somehow," he animatedly explained.

Willow looked at him with a mixture of humor and annoyance on her face. "Oh," was all she could say.

A moment passed before Andrew took a closer look at the girl's face, noticing the blotchy remnants of her spilled sorrows. "Sooo," he began gently, "How you holdin' up, Sister?"

"I've been better," she answered curtly.

"Wanna talk about it?"

"Not really," she replied.

Andrew opened his mouth to respond, when Willow cut him off. "It's just that I'm so tired of feeling guilty. Whenever I'm with Tara, I feel like I'm betraying Kennedy, but when I am with Kennedy, all I can think about is how badly it must hurt Tara! There just isn't enough room inside my body for all this stress! I have missed Tara since the moment her life was ripped from her, but I can hardly enjoy being near her when every five seconds Kennedy pops up wearing those gorgeous puppy dog eyes. And Tara says she understands why I was with Kennedy while she was…gone…but then she looks hurt every time I mention her name. She just starts mumbling crap about understanding and wanting me to be happy, but I'm **not** happy. I know it's asking a lot for them both to be ok with me trying to figure out what, or who, I want, but there's just no other way. It would be impossible for me to just dismiss Tara after she protected me from the First and walked miles to find me. And, it is just as impossible for me to stop feeling how I feel about Kennedy. I always thought Tara was my soul mate, my forever, but then Kennedy came into my life, all beautiful, and smooth talking, and strong and I just melted for her." Willow felt fresh tears build up behind her eyes. "I love Tara. But, I love Kennedy too. It's different, but it is just as strong. And, and…I just don't know what to do!"

Andrew watched as Willow succumbed to the tears and laid her head down on the table. His heart ached for her, and he gently stroked the top of her head. The young man felt his own guilt mounting for having had any part in what happened to Tara. He certainly didn't pull the trigger, but perhaps he could have said or done something to stop Warren from ever going after Buffy.

Gradually, the girl pulled herself together and sat back up. Andrew brushed off her apologies for having dumped all this on him and instead tried to comfort her with whatever wisdom he could muster.

"I'm not really an expert on relationships, not at all actually, but I have read a lot of comic books and the romantic plots always seem to center around love conquering all obstacles. Your heart will know what is right and will eventually lead you to it. In the mean time, I know that both of those girls love you and will wait for you to figure it out, however impatient they may seem," he said softly.

Willow looked at him with genuine affection for the first time. She realized, that for as quirky and obnoxious as he can be, Andrew genuinely has a good heart. She apologized needlessly again and thanked him for his kind words, then excused herself. As she walked back, she chuckled at finding the first real comfort she'd had in week in Andrew's company. The witch made a mental note to go a bit easier on him when he gets hard to handle.

When Willow arrived back at her room, she heard Tara's infectious laugher coming from inside. She smiled at the sound and opened the door to find that Tara wasn't alone. There, laughing along with her, was Rona. The new slayer and Tara sat facing one another on the bed. Willow breathed a sigh of relief that her lover wasn't still mad. The red-head scooted past them and headed for the shower in hopes that some of the puffiness on her face could then be explained by the steaming water, instead of tears.

After she was washed, rinsed, washed and rinsed again, Willow finally dragged herself out of the warm water. She pulled one of the generic white towels from it's rack and dried herself off. Wrapping it tightly around her body, she opened the door and stepped back out into the main room. Rona had gone, leaving Tara sitting alone on the bed, reading a book.

"Hey," Willow greeted.

"Hey," Tara replied. "How was the Scooby meeting?"

"Pretty non-productive. Giles wants us all to move to a new hell mouth and basically start over with a brand spankin' new evil. Buffy's not too keen on the idea, and honestly neither am I. Although, he has a point about one thing. We do need to find all the new slayers who were called during my spell. I can't imagine what they must be thinking with all the changes they are going through and no one to explain what's happening."

"Yeah," Tara agreed. "I bet it must be awful for them. It could be dangerous, too. What if some of them aren't responsible with their new power."

Willow hadn't even thought of that. She would need to mention it to Giles. It looked more and more like Cleveland would soon be their home. Letting out a sigh, she plopped down on the desk chair. "Well, I guess we'd better enjoy our last week here before we go back to demon blood and vamp dust."

Tara lifted a brush from the night stand and walked over to where Willow was slumped. She slowly began brushing the girl's water-slick locks. Willow purred in appreciation.

"So, how's Rona doing?" she asked.

"Oh, she's fine. She just came over to see if you would teach her a spell to get rid of a pimple." Tara laughed and then got quiet again. The only sound was the brush moving through Willow's hair. "I uh…I'm pretty sure she hit on me, though," Tara admitted uncomfortably.

Willow's eyes snapped open. "**What**? What do you mean she hit on you? Is Rona even gay?"

"I guess so, if she hit on me. Besides," Tara defended, "It's not as if I'm exactly taken." She set down the brush on the desk and went back to sit on the bed.

'_But she IS taken'_, Willow thought. '_She will always be taken. She's MY girl.'_ "Still, she knows we're a….a thing. It wasn't right."

"Don't worry, Willow," Tara soothed, "I didn't flirt back. And, I will wait as long as you need to define our relationship, but I can't promise that other people wont take an interest in me along the way."

Willow nodded, feeling better and worse all at the same time. Then it occurred to her that if other people might take an interest in Tara, they will also likely take an interest in Kennedy. The witch suddenly felt very ill. The thought of Kennedy flirting with, touching, kissing another girl made her feel positively light headed. She would need to sit down if she weren't already doing so.

Tara left Willow to her thoughts and went to take her own shower. Willow dressed slowly and laid down in bed, suddenly exhausted from the stress of the morning. By the time Tara walked back into the room, Willow was fast asleep.

Two hours later, Willow awoke to an empty room. A note on the desk explained that Tara had gone out with Dawn for the afternoon. She decided to take this opportunity to go find Kennedy. Willow quickly located her shoes and ran a brush through her pillow-matted hair, before making her way back out into the sunlight.

It didn't take her long to find the slayer. In the center of the motel's yard was a shallow, poor excuse for a swimming pool. Kennedy lapped it's short distance over and over, coming up for air only once every other lap. Willow opened the gate and walked in, taking a seat on one of the faded plastic lounge chairs.

Six laps and three breaths later, Kennedy stopped to take a break and saw Willow watching her intently. "You know, stalking is illegal," she quipped half-heartedly.

Willow smiled, "I was just hoping we could talk."

Kennedy searched her brain for a smart-ass remark to blow her off, but decided that she too would enjoy a few moments together. Even though she was furious with the girl, she still missed her.

Willow watched Kennedy's toned body swim to the other end of the pool and slowly climb up the cement steps. She took in the muscles in the girl's arms, which miraculously seemed to have grown in the past week. She watched the sun bounce it's rays off Kennedy's wet skin and hair.

Kennedy noticed Willow's gaze and did nothing to cover herself. It was good for the witch to know what she was missing, she thought. Instead, she sauntered over to her chair and bent to retrieve a bottle of water, giving Willow a perfectly unobscured view of her best asset.

Willow grew slightly damper, herself, at the nearly naked slayer's provocation. The red-head breathed a sigh of relief when Kennedy eventually picked up her towel and draped it loosely over herself.

When Kenn finally sat down on a chair across from Willow, the witch's eyes were hazy and the slayer's were smug. "You wanted to talk?" she asked, lifting Willow from her fog.

"Yeah. I just…I just want you to know how awful I feel to have put you through this. I don't want anyone to get hurt, I just don't know what else to do," she confessed.

"How awful do you think I feel?" Kennedy countered. "I have to watch my girlfriend gallivanting around with some other woman. You two just sit around making googly eyes at each other like I don't even exist. Like I never did. It's not fair."

"I know, Kenn. I'm sorry. I wish I could make it up to you. I wish I could make you see how guilty I feel about the whole thing," Willow pleaded.

Kennedy looked at her intently before asking, "Did you sleep with her?"

Willow dropped her gaze and didn't respond.

The slayer stood and threw her water bottle into the chain link fence and walked away, but not before casting a pain-filled glare at her former love.

Willow knew better than to go after her, so she curled up into a ball and laid out by the pool until the sun began to set.

The next six days passed more or less without incident. The two witches continued with their lives, watching movies, cuddling, taking walks, but mostly talking and catching up. Willow did her best to dodge an increasingly angry Kennedy and Tara pretended not to notice the faraway look Willow sometimes wore. She also ignored the fact that the two had not made love since that day after the carnival. The blonde chalked it up to the stress of having to decide what to do with their futures.

That night, the two lay curled in each other's arms. A muffled Jay Leno chattered in the background, with the occasional burst of audience laughter, but Willow and Tara were content to ignore him and simply bask once again in the comfort of one another's embrace.

Tara kissed Willow softly on the cheek, then moved to kiss behind her ear. Willow let a moan escape her lips before Tara stifled it with her own. Then, the blonde began rubbing Willow's soft belly, and kissed her more intensely.

Willow broke the kiss and laid her head on the other girl's chest.

Tara felt the burn of rejection seeping in. "Did I do something wrong?"

"No, Baby. I'm just tired I guess," Willow answered.

"Is that all?"

Willow didn't know how to respond, so she simply held the girl more tightly.

"Willow, please talk to me. We can't keep acting like everything is okay if it's not."

Willow knew Tara was right. She sat up and looked at her. There was just so much history between the two of them. Every time she looked into those blue eyes, her heart smiled at some happy memory. She couldn't imagine never being able to see Tara, or hug her or touch her. While she had moved past the fear that Tara would somehow disappear again, Willow still felt an incredible pull to keep her close.

"I'm just afraid," she began. "I'm afraid of losing you. But…I'm also afraid of losing…"

"Kennedy," Tara finished.

Willow nodded and looked down. "I feel just awful, but I can't choose. I love you both so much. I don't want to hurt anybody."

"No matter what, someone is going to get h..hurt."

The two sat quietly with their thoughts for the next few minutes. Tara was the one to end the silence. "Why?" she asked.

Willow looked at her quizzically.

"Why do you love me?"

"Because…you're my always. You are my whole world. I don't know what I would do without you in my life," Willow answered vehemently.

"You mean, I **was** your always, and I **used** to be your world. And, you did survive without me in your life," Tara countered. "What I'm asking is, why do you love me **now**?"

Willow looked at her confused. "I…I just do. You protected me from the First, you walked all over just to find me. A…and, you know me so well. Nobody knows me like you do. We were meant to be together."

Tara let a tear slide down her cheek. "No, Willow. We weren't. I was meant to be dead. This," Tara gestured to everywhere and nowhere in particular, "was never supposed to happen."

Willow began to cry as well and buried her face in Tara's neck. The two just laid there shedding silent tears until they fell asleep.

Chapter 6:

Willow and Tara awoke the next morning and dressed without saying much of anything to one another. It wasn't that they were angry, just that no words seemed to do their feelings justice. By 10:00 the two were seated at a picnic table in the back yard, accompanied by Giles, Xander, Buffy, Dawn, Faith, Woods, Kennedy, Andrew, Rona, Vi and the other junior slayers. Xander and Faith pushed three tables together to accommodate the large group.

Unlike the last meeting, this one was abuzz with energy. Everyone was talking at once, creating a jumble of words; none identifiable above the din. Giles cleared his throat twice in an effort to quiet the masses, without much success. Faith took notice and yelled "Quiet!" at the top of her lungs, and the conversations immediately ceased.

Giles shot her a look of appreciation. "Now, I understand that everyone here has strong feelings about what is to happen next, as far as where we shall live and what our responsibilities shall be. I want you all to know that I've heard your opinions and that they've all had value in determining what needs to be done.

"With that said, the strength and skills of a slayer are not free gifts. They are part of a calling…a destiny. A greater purpose, if you will. Our purpose is to protect man kind. While that undoubtedly causes great trials and sacrifice, I feel it is a purpose worth fighting for."

The group listened intently as he continued.

"There are girls out there; hundreds, maybe thousands of girls who have suddenly inherited all of the abilities many of you have grown accustomed to. They, however, have not had the benefit of a teacher or training, or for that matter, anyone to tell them what the bloody hell is happening to them. It would be painfully irresponsible for us to work these powerful magics, drastically changing the lives of so many innocent girls, and then simply walk away. So, here is what I propose: We leave Garriton Village in two days time. We go to Cleveland. We find a home large enough to house us all, as well as many more girls, and we begin a new Council."

Suddenly everyone began talking at once again. The younger slayers boasted with excitement at the opportunity, while the veteran slayers, as well as the Scoobies, expressed serious concern at the idea.

Giles raised his voice to quiet them again. "I have decided that this is the best course of action. However, I will not force my will upon any of you. You are all adults…"

"I'm not," a thin, auburn-haired junior slayer interrupted.

Giles cleared his throat, ignoring the girl. "You are all capable of making adult decisions…the decisions which will shape your future and mould who you are as individuals. Anyone who wishes **not** to be a part of this plan may go their own way. Again, I will not force anything upon any of you. But, please think carefully about what you will be giving up by doing so. A chance to change your life, a chance to change the world. So rarely does an opportunity for any **one** person to have such an impact, come along."

The group looked around at one another thoughtfully.

"There is more," Giles continued, "we cannot expect the girls out there to find their way to us on their own. We must search for them. The only way this can be done is through the use of magic." Turning to Willow, he said, "I know it is a great deal to ask, but you are the most spiritually equipped person for the job."

Willow studied her mentor. "What are you saying?"

"That you seek out these girls, go to them and explain to them what is happening. Possibly, bring them to us in Cleveland," he answered.

"Alone?"

"No. You should choose a slayer to accompany you. I should add that Buffy and Faith could be of more use to us at our new headquarters, however."

Willow nodded her understanding, but said nothing. The group sat in thoughtful silence for a few minutes longer, before Tara spoke up.

"Mr. Giles? How many girls did you say there were? H..hundreds? Wouldn't it be better to have more than one search group?"

"I suppose it would," he answered.

"I could lead a second group to cover more ground. I'm sure I would be able to locate their essences. Do you think that would be helpful?"

Giles looked from the blonde to Willow whose eyes were trained on the splintered wood of the picnic table. "I suppose it would be. If you're up for it that is."

Tara nodded with conviction.

"Alright," Giles concluded, "why don't we call it a day for now and we can sort out the remaining details tomorrow. I suggest you all search your hearts and come to a decision about where you see yourselves in the future."

Slowly and quietly, the group departed.

As they were walking away, Rona stopped and turned around. She tapped Tara lightly on the shoulder to get the girl's attention.

"If you would have me," she began, "I would be honored to go with you to search for the new slayers."

Tara looked both flattered and concerned. She stuttered a few unsure phrases before Rona smiled and cut her off. "Just think about it, okay?"

Tara nodded and watched Rona walk away. Willow stood there watching the interaction, stunned.

That evening, Tara and Willow decided to take a long walk in the fading sunlight. The Morning Mist slowly disappeared behind them and the girls let nearly 20 minutes pass before either of them spoke.

When Willow finally broke the silence, her voice sounded pinched, as if the words themselves were choking her. "So…what you said at the meeting today, you really want to do that? You want to leave me?"

"Of course not, Willow. I never want to leave you. I wish we could be together…the way it was before….but, I can't have just part of your heart. I can tell that your feelings for Kennedy are strong."

Willow watched the gravel crunching under her shoes and made no effort to deny the girl's statement.

"As long as you love her, you cannot fully love me," Tara said with finality.

Willow thought carefully about her words. "I'm sorry Tara. You're right. I do love Kennedy. After you came back, I tried to put her out of my mind…out of my heart…but I couldn't. You and I have something so special, but she and I had something special, too. It is killing me to keep fighting it."

Tara flinched at the red-head's admission.

"But," Willow continued, "I honestly don't think I would be able to stand never seeing you again. I mean, I just got you back! What I feel for you is so strong. You are my family. I love you. You can't leave me again."

Willow stopped walking and sat down in the grass, folding herself into a tiny ball. Her shoulders shook and her sleeves grew damp with tears. Tara sank down and held Willow tightly. The two cried together over their impending loss.

"I just can't, Will," Tara choked out. "I can't be near you and not have you. It would just hurt too much…watching you be with h…her."

"I know, Baby. I'm so, so sorry."

As the sun disappeared behind a patch of trees, the girls slowly collected themselves and started back toward the hotel. Willow reached out and took Tara's hand. Together, they put on brave faces and prepared for goodbye.

"At least this time I will just be a phone call away," Tara comforted. "Thousands of miles away is still closer than ten feet under," she teased.

Willow smacked her arm playfully, a smile finally reaching her lips.

Back at the motel, Tara explained to Willow that it would be terribly painful to spend this one last night together. So, the blonde hugged Willow for a long time before releasing her and going to spend some quality time with Dawn. Buffy was more than happy to have the extra guest for the night.

The red-head busied herself with packing. By this time tomorrow, she would very likely be on her way to Cleveland. So, she stuffed her bags with clothing, a tooth brush, a hair brush, shampoo, soap, jewelry, shoes, deodorant, perfume and hair ties. She separated her things from Tara's, fighting the urge to break down and cry again.

When she was done, Willow sat alone on her bed and thought about all that had just happened. She felt a tremendous sense of loss, but also a large amount of relief. The decision had been made. Her struggle was over. Tara was leaving, but she wasn't dead. And now she could be with Kennedy, guilt free.

With that thought in mind, she grabbed her things and went to find her girlfriend. As Willow walked from her room to Kennedy's, she felt a bit more of a bounce in each step she took. By the time she reached the girl's door, she was positively beaming. She knocked and waited for her slayer to come.

When Kennedy opened the door, she looked a bit shocked to see the witch standing there. She crossed her arms, and prayed that her scowl would mask the bags under her eyes. The slayer took in Willows happy demeanor and felt confused. '_Is she happy because she and Tara are doing so well? Maybe they decided not to come to Cleveland and are running away together instead. No…no, that's not likely. Maybe she's here because she wants me back? No, that's just as unlikely. Willow has always loved Tara more. She would never leave her for me. Then why is she so damn happy?'_

Kennedy tried to quiet the thoughts racing through her mind and leaned casually against the door frame. "May I help you?"

Willow's smile faltered at the ice in Kennedy's voice. '_Maybe this wasn't such a good idea. What if she doesn't want me back? What if, in my indecision, I have lost them both?'_

Her voice cracked a little as she responded. "Um, hey. I was just wondering if we could talk?"

"Aren't we talking now?"

"Well, technically yes, but I was kinda hoping we could talk inside," Willow asked tentatively.

Kennedy stared at Willow for another few seconds before backing up out of the door way.

Willow took the movement as an invitation and followed the brunette inside. As soon as she cleared the door way, Kennedy closed the door and stood in front of Willow, not allowing the girl to venture any further into her sanctuary.

"Talk." she demanded.

Willow shifted uncomfortably, and dropped her bags onto the floor. As she straightened back up, she allowed herself a quick glance over the slayer's toned body. Kennedy was wearing dark washed jeans with a hole in the left knee, and a white beater over a black sports bra. Willow felt a throb begin in her chest and travel down between her legs. She thought of her favorite freckle, the one on Kennedy's right shoulder, and ached to kiss it. All she'd have to do is gently push back the slayer's dark hair, and….

"Hello?!" Kennedy interrupted.

Willow blinked, inhaled and began blurting out a response. "O…ok. It's just that….I talked to Tara…and well, she knew before I did, really. Or, she guessed, rather….Maybe I was distant or something. But, she knew somehow…and then I knew too, and now she's leaving and…I'm sorry, Kenn. I'm just so sorry. And we were walking, and talking, and then with the crying, and then I was here."

At the slayers puzzled expression, Willow added, "to tell you."

While Kennedy did consider herself an expert at deciphering Willow-babble, she had to admit, this time she was stumped. "Tell me….what?"

"That I'm sorry," Willow confessed.

"Sorry about what? That Tara is leaving? Or that you are leaving with her? I'm confused, and getting a little pissed."

Willow shook her head and tried to collect her thoughts. She closed her eyes to block out Kennedy's withering expression and began again, more slowly this time. "No, I'm sorry about everything. Before Tara came back, I told you that I loved you. I meant that, Kenn. I really do love you. I tried to burry those feelings, because I thought that what I really wanted was Tara, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't get you out of my head. I couldn't hide that fact from myself and I couldn't hide it from her, either. In the end, she decided to leave, and I decided to stay."

Willow opened her eyes to find that Kennedy had closed hers. The slayer appeared to be fighting hard against the tears that were lining her lashes, betraying her bravado. She shook her head and yelled, "No! No, you can't just come back here and say things like that. So what? Your precious little Tara is gone so you figured you'd come running back to me? That I would just take you back and forget this ever happened?"

Anger flashed in the girls eyes when she snapped them opened. "You slept with her Willow. You can't say that you love me and then make love to someone else. It doesn't work that way."

"I know it doesn't. I know I was wrong to put you through all of that. I'm so, so sorry. I just had to figure out what I was feeling. But, I have now. My head is clear. All I want is you." Willow tried to touch Kennedy's arm, but the slayer jerked it away.

"Until when? Until Tara comes back? I heard what she said at the meeting. She's gonna go out, hunt down little baby slayers and bring them back to slayer school. And then what? I'll bet your heart goes all pitter-patter again every single time she shows up." She accused.

"No. It wont. I promise. She and I will always have a connection, but my heart only goes pitter-patter for you."

Kennedy crossed her arms and looked down. She was running out of energy to keep up this fight. She didn't want to let Willow back in, but at the same time, these were all the things she had dreamed the girl would say to her. At night when she would lay in bed, staring at the empty place next to her, she'd imagine Willow bursting through the door, begging to be taken back. She'd never thought that this day would actually come.

Willow tried again to touch the girl. This time, Kennedy did not immediately pull away. "Please, Kenn. Tell me how I can make it up to you. I'll do anything. Just, please forgive me."

Kenndy's voice was gravelly with tears, and barely an octave above a whisper. "You hurt me."

"I know."

"**Nobody** hurts me."

"I'm sorry."

"You told me you loved me and then threw me away. You held another girl's hand, kissed her, fucked her….and now you want my forgiveness?"

"Yes."

The slayer studied Willow's face. She recognized the look of genuine regret. Kennedy wanted to just forgive her and pretend that none of this betrayal had ever happened. But, above Willow's pale skin was the thick film of Tara's essence, tainting her. Kennedy could feel it, smell it. She wanted to tear it off. Burn it. Scrub the filth of another woman's hands from her lover's body. Yes, she would forgive Willow. But, not before reclaiming every inch of what Tara had defiled.

She stepped closer to the witch, till their noses were practically touching. She felt Willow's breath on her lips. Not taking her eyes off of Willow's, the slayer grabbed both of the girls upper-arms, and pushed her hard against the door. The read-head let out a tiny squeak of surprise. Her eyes were a mix of confusion and fear.

Willow began to panic when Kennedy's hands closed more tightly around her arms. She was just about to speak when the slayer kissed her hard. She bit her lip and thrust her tongue forcefully into Willow's mouth. Willow barely had time to respond when Kennedy pushed off of her and backed up a step.

"You want to make it up to me?"

"Y…yes," Willow stuttered.

"Fine. Take off your clothes."

"What?"

"You heard me. Take 'em off." Any trace of vulnerability had left Kennedy and she eyed the girl before her like a wolf to an injured calf.

Willow glanced at the door knob. She was sure Kennedy would let her leave if she tried, but this may be the only chance she would get to make things right. So the witch put on her resolve-face and slowly began peeling off her shirt.

After she had shed her shirt, shoes, socks and jeans, Willow stopped and looked at Kennedy.

The girl cocked her head to the side and raised her eyebrows. "**All** of your clothes."

Willow sighed and, slightly embarrassed, took off her bra and panties. She stood there naked in front of the slayer, fighting the desire to cover herself.

Kennedy pushed up against her again and kissed her. She grabbed roughly at the witches breasts, until Willow let out a cry of protest. "K..Kenn, what are you doing?"

"You're making it up to me."

"But, it hurts."

"You hurt me, I hurt you. Seems fair to me. Can you take it?"

Willow gulped and shook her head yes.

Kennedy grabbed Willow's arm and dragged her over to the bed, pushing her down onto it. The slayer yanked off her beater, and then stripped off her belt, jeans and socks. She climbed on top of the cowering girl and pinned her arms above her head.

"Kennedy, please…" Willow began, unsure whether to be happy to be back in bed with her former lover, or terrified of what the angry slayer might do to her.

A moment of regret flashed in Kennedy's eyes, but was quickly gone.

"Spread your legs."

"But…"

"Spread. Your. Legs."

Willow slowly separated her legs. Kennedy ran her free hand over Willow's body. She grabbed at her, pinched her nipples and bit at her lips. She had hungered for this girl. Her anger and desire overtook her and she slipped two fingers hard into Willow.

The witch gasped and let out a half moan/ half cry as Kennedy continued pounding hard into her. She was about to beg Kennedy to stop, when the pain slowly began to fade, and in it's place she felt an orgasm building.

Kennedy watched the tears streaming down the witch's face and thrust all the frustration, hurt, anger and betrayal from one body into the next. She felt Willow's climax tightening around her fingers, and rather than let the girl ride it out fully, she pulled out quickly and got up from the bed.

Willow rolled to her side and squeezed her hands between her legs to calm the throbbing. She watched as Kennedy crossed the room and began digging through a pile of bags. The witch was just beginning to catch her breath, when she felt her breath catch.

Kennedy walked back over to the bed with a dildo in one hand and a harness in the other. The slayer stepped into it with ease and slid the dildo into place. Then, she climbed back on the bed, and lifted the tiny girl up and flipped her over onto her stomach. With one hand, she pulled Willow's hips so the girl was on her knees, while the other hand pressed her head into the mattress.

"Kenn?" Willow questioned.

The slayer answered by separating the girl's legs and kneeling between them. Willow started to wiggle away.

Kennedy held her in place and rested the tip of the dildo against the girls clit. "You said you were sorry. Are you sorry enough to take this?"

Willow wanted to shake her head no, but Kennedy's hand was still holding it still. Forced to speak her answer, she asked, "Why, Kenn? Why this way?"

"She took you from me. She polluted your body. I want your body back," she answered matter-of-factly.

Willow pushed down her fear. "Then…yes."

Permission granted, Kennedy slowly pushed the penis-like mould into Willow. As much as she wanted to fuck her, she didn't really want to hurt the girl too badly.

She felt Willow stiffen at first, but after a few deep, slow thrusts, the witch began to relax.

Kennedy picked up the pace and was soon pounding her again. She released her hold on Willow's head and put both hands on the girl's hips. Little, choked noises escaped the red-head with each, deep thrust.

The pain from this fucking did not lessen, but instead, mixed with, and increased the intensity of the pleasure.

After a while, Kennedy knew Willow was about to climax, so she pulled out and turned the girl back onto her back. She wanted to look her in the eyes while she came.

The slayer laid on top of Willow and pushed the dildo back into her. They locked eyes, and Willow noticed that they both had tears streaming down their faces.

"You kissed her, (thrust) You fucked her, (thrust) You told her you loved her, (thrust) You made me cry, (thrust) You broke my heart, (thrust) You betrayed my trust, (thrust) I couldn't eat, (thrust) I couldn't sleep, (thrust) I couldn't breathe (thrust)."

Willow arched against her slayer and cried out as an orgasm tore through her. It was stronger, deeper and longer than any she had ever experienced. When it passed, her body went limp against the bed and she looked at her sobbing, shattered lover.

"I love you so much," Kennedy cried. "It hurt me so bad."

"I know, Baby. I love you, too. I will never, ever, ever hurt you like that again. I promise," Willow soothed.

Kennedy rolled off of her and buried her head in Willow's chest. The two cried together for hours.

After a sleepless night, the girls got up with the rising sun. Between the crying, the screaming and the sex, both were completely exhausted. They could hear the shouts and laughter of the other slayers outside as they groggily tugged on shirts and laced up shoes. Willow ran a brush through her tangled mane and Kennedy struggled hers into a lopsided ponytail.

Most of their bags were already packed. Only the previous night's clothes and a few bathroom items were thrown in at the last minute. Then, with bags slung over their shoulders, they opened the door and stepped out, squinting, into the morning.

Once outside, Willow scanned the area for Tara, and Kennedy wandered off to go wake Faith. She was still looking, when Buffy walked and up put a hand on her shoulder.

"Hey. How ya holdin' up?" She asked gently.

"Oh, I'm ok. Is, um, Tara ok?"

"Will….Tara left. She was gone before Dawn and I woke up."

Willow began to feel the panic rising inside her. "What? She just left? She didn't even say goodbye?"

"She left you this." Buffy handed a folded piece of motel stationary to the distressed witch.

Willow felt her eyes well up for what felt like the thousandth time and slowly unfolded the paper.

It read:

_My Willow,_

_ I'm sorry for having left without saying goodbye. I know you are probably upset. It would have been too painful to look at you and have to walk away. You can't begin to imagine how much I love you. Even heaven wasn't complete without you in it._

_ I believe without a doubt that one day we will be together again, be it as lovers or the closest of friends. You are a permanent mark on my heart, as I am on your's. _

_ I will write to you often. This is an exciting adventure for me and I can't wait to tell you every bit of it. Perhaps while I am out finding slayers, I will find some new parts of myself as well. _

_ Don't worry over me. I am in safe hands. _

_ All my love. Forever._

_ Tara_

Willow smiled and traced Tara's name. A tear splattered on the ink and she quickly shook it free, for fear of smudging the words. She wiped her eyes with the sleeve of her shirt, and wrapped her arms around Buffy.

A moment later, Giles corralled everyone together. "I believe you all have a decision to make. For those of you who are heading out on your own, I wish you the best of luck in your endeavors. You will get no disrespect from me, just my sincerest gratitude for your service and a humble request that you stop by for a visit one day.

"But, if any of you wish to accompany me to Cleveland, I can assure you that it will be one of the best decisions you will ever make in your young lives. This is a new beginning for us all. I invite you to be a part of it."

With that, he turned and walked toward the bus. Slowly, one by one, each and every person picked up their bags and followed him. Only two were unaccounted for. Rona and Tara.

As the bus grumbled to a start, Willow took Kennedy's hand and scrunched down into the seat. The slayer leaned on her shoulder and closed her eyes.

"Wake me when we get to Cleveland."

Willow smiled, kissed her on the forehead, and watched the motel slowly fade away.


End file.
